Please excuse ANY grammatical errors.

July 25, 1995

~Dalvin's P.O.V~

Two days ago was my birthday and guess what. My mother just happens to have the baby that day. It's another boy but the point is that it's on MY birthday. Djustin (See what I did there?) was supposed to be born sometime next month. I love my brothers, including the new baby but now I have to share my birthday. My presents are going to be shit from here on out because of it. Yeah, I'm a little jealous because he took my birthday and my place as the youngest. Now I'm a middle child and will feel what Derek felt. Well, maybe not because I'm grown but still...

The baby took my birthday and De's nickname; DJ. They've been calling him that since they knew what they'd name him. The D is fucking silent, yet his nickname is DJ. You say DJ in a room with De, he would answer. It's honestly confusing. Anyways, I am glad that my mother and baby brother are okay. My mother is pretty much healthy but DJ decided to come out early. As far as I know, the delivery went well. Me and De walked into the room where our mother and father were. Derek was already here.

"Where he at?" De asked Derek after he greeted and hugged our parents.

"In the nursery nig- DJ- I mean Junior." Derek chuckled. DeVanté absolutely HATES being called Junior. He said that it sounds too childish and plain, and I agree but we will do it to fuck with him.

De squinted at Derek. "I just got here and you already- alright now, keep on fu- messin' wit' me." He wagged his index finger up and down as Derek.

"You curse in front of me and you will be having a mouth full of soap. I'm not playing with y'all." Pops pointed at us warningly. "Especially you Junior, you been actin' real weird- different lately. More than usually... Anyways, I'll be right back with your brother." Pops told us then left out the room.

De has been acting more different than usual for the past year. I mean, I try to ignore it or dismiss it but something ain't right about this man. I'm not what the hell it is but I see it and eventually want to get to the bottom of this. You see DeVanté has always been what people call weird even with family. I don't think he's weird, my brother is unique and talented as fuck!

Pops attempted to keep him on the path that he wanted for De, but the more pops did that, the more De strayed away from what pops wanted. Do you know how parents say that they never had a favorite child? Well, De, or shall I say Junior was Pops favorite child considering how he's his firstborn and spent more time with him than anyone. Derek and I both knew it. De played a bug part with pops and his gospel band. That changed when De ran away and began to rebel against his and the church's rules.

Now, Derek seems to be his favorite since he's around more and he's still VERY involved with the church. Derek eats that up and would rub it in your face if he was like me but he ain't. Pops is a but angry that I followed right behind De. He acts like it's fine but deep down I know that he's disappointed. He's a Reverend and the reverend's children ended up singing and writing the songs that we do. What he don't know if he didn't watch the interviews that De had those songs in a notebook for YEARS.

"How's it going mother?" I asked and hugged

"I'm doing fine, baby. What about you two?" She smiled at all of her kids but was of course talking to me and De.

"I'm doing fine ma." De smiled only with his lips. It looked awkward as hell. I swear that it was like the Joker or something.

I turned away from De while looking at him from the corner of my eyes. "I'm doing good. So who does he look like? Did he get his youngest, older brother, or was he cursed with looking like them?" I joked.

"Like them?" She laughed at my joke. "You callin' yo momma ugly? Junior has my whole face and you all have some features of mines. The baby does remind me of you when you came out. He didn't get his features yet because he just came out though." Just as she was finishing her sentence, Pops came into the room with the baby in a food tray.

"Pops, why he layin' on a food tray?" I asked TRULY confused.

"Boy, do I have an idiot of a brother..." De shook his head at me. "It's not a food tray, it's a baby tray that they put babies in when they are hungry and need feeding."

"Well, if this ain't the definition of the pot callin' the kettle black that I ever saw! This is a incubator. They put babies in these after they are born." Derek said laughing. "Idiots."

"All y'all shut the hell up because y'all all wrong, it's a baby cot!" Pops butted in. "Now come see your baby brother," Pops told us and got DJ out of the baby cot. "Look just like me, don't he?" Pops held the baby next to his face.

"Why y'all slick this mans hair like this? He looks like one of those suburban kids." De laughed. "He don't look like no Dalvin though. Dalvin resembled a Chucky doll and he don't." He pointed his finger from me to DJ.

"Dalvin also resembles me." Pops gave De that look.

"I meant the parts of him that don't resemble you reminded me of Chucky and that's why I used to cry when I saw your face." He turned to me.

"Just a liar, Chucky wasn't even out back then," Derek told him.

"Right, stop with the foolishness and admit you was jealous and that was the reason for you crying. You did the same thing with Derek when I brought him home." Momma told us.

"That's right firstborn. You was so jealous that you started doing stupid to notice you like we didn't already." Pops said laughing.

"I was never the jealous type. I don't remember much from when I was that young but what I do know is that I was never jealous. I was always the trendsetter for these youngins." De put his arms around me and Derek.

He is correct, everything De did, we wanted to do as well. That was because he was our older brother and we looked up to him. He taught us a lot about a lot. I moved his arm from around me. "Trendsetter? YOU followed in my path. Every road Dalvin walked on, I had my older brothers barking at me and clawing at my ankles. Y'all was like the dogs and I like the treat." I pointed to myself.

"Man," Derek threw his hand out at me as a dismissal. "Everybody knows that all you talk is bull man." He laughed.

"Junior, you was a jealous baby then you turned four and ain't want to be bothered with us. You thought you was independent. Dalvin was always following you, even when he couldn't walk, he'd crawl behind you everywhere. Derek was Derek. But Junior helped out changing both of y'all's diapers." Momma said ending it all.

"That's right! I helped wipe y'all a-" De said moving his arm from around Derek and putting his finger in my chest. The baby started crying.

"Look at you, scaring him." Derek furrowed his eyebrows at De.

"My bad, can I hold my baby brother now?"

"Why didn't you ask before big bro?" I jumped on his back and De fell back with me behind him.

De turned his head enough to see me and the look on his face said it all. "Dalvin, if you don't get-" I let go of him, scooted up on the floor, then stood up. "Stop playin' so much." He said standing up and dusting off. "I'm over here looking fresh and you got me on the floor."

"If you want to hold him you all have to wash those hands." Momma said holding him.

"Pops was you in the delivery room?" De said jokingly.

Pops is old school and one thing about people born around the same time as him don't believe in being in the delivery room. Usually, the father stays in the waiting room or back home with the other kids. The only support the mother has while giving birth is their parents or women in-laws. Father's being in the delivery room is the new era.

"Now, you know..." Pops gave him the same look that De gives people. De may have Mom's while face but those faces he makes is straight from Pops.

"I know..." De laughed. "I'm about to wash my hands, y'all comin'?"

"It's a sink right there. Where is y'all goin'?" Pops said looking confused.

"No paper towels." De pointed then walked out into the bathroom. The minute we walked De hit me while Derek closed the door. It was hard but not enough to leave damage.

"Y'all set me up." I hit him back. We were playing then De got serious and started hitting me hard. "Fuck you hit me so hard for?" I hit him back just as hard.

He hit me back even harder. "Cause you keep playin' and I'm out of my playin' mood."

I hit him back harder. "Nigga, stop hitting me so fuckin' hard." I slapped him.

"Nig-" I was slammed on the floor by De.

"Ho shit..." Derek said with wide eyes. We was both on the floor tussling.

I put De in a headlock. "Fuck is wrong with you? All you had to say it that you didn't wanna play no more. Yo ass decided to hit me hard."

"I said it back there." De said trying to get loose from my grip. "I'm not in a playful mood."

"Nigga I was done playin', as soon as we walked in the bathroom you started it up again." I told him as he got out of my grip and punched me in the stomach.

Derek watched us for a while before breaking us up. "Alright kiddos." He grabbed me, who was winning by the way, and pulled me up.

We was both breathing hard. I snatched away from Derek and turned on the sink to wash my hands. I ain't got time for this niggas attitude today. He act like a pregnant woman with his feeling. This nigga been hella violent lately. I'm not like the people that was under his label and left. I'm fighting back and I don't give a fuck who you are.

"What's that?" Derek said looking at the floor. He walked over to where me and De was previously fighting and picked up something from the floor. It was a napkin and when Derek opened it it had pills in it. "This yours Dalvin?" Derek looked at me from the corner of his eyes.

"Nigga, no..." I answered then we both looked at De.

"These your's De?" Derek asked him and De shook his head no.

"Nahh, those ain't mine." He shrugged and went to the sink and washed his hands.

"I know they yours because they fell out of your pocket while y'all was fighting." Derek spoke up with more authority in his tone.

I looked at Derek. "Then why you pint the finger at me?" I asked him.

"To see would this nigga lie and he did. I saw this shit fall out his pocket and could tell somethin' was in it. This why you been actin' crazy? Turn around." Derek told De.

"Nigga, I told you that shit ain't mine. Now me the the FUCK alone." De said lowly.

"I don't think you heard me. We all noticed you actin' a little odd for a while now. We just ain't say shit to see how things played out. Ma and pop's noticed that shut too because they came to me about it thinkin' I knew. Turn around." Derek told him.

"Nigga, I ain't gotta do shit but stay black and die." DeVanté laughed and grabbed some paper towel to dry his hands.

"Dalvin..." Derek called out to me then motioned to De. We grabbed him and turned him around. "You see, your eyes be doin' this weird thing and I didn't notice it today. I know what kinda shit this is. I dated a pharmacist and know the type of pills and shit when I see it. You poppin' pills now? Percs and oxy's. Fuck is wrong wit' you? Huh?" Derek grabbed his collar and pulled De's eye open to look at his pupil. "You high now ain't you? Shits wearun' off and you need another fix?"

De turned his head to the side and chuckled, then turned back to face us. "Nigga, if you don't let me go, you better..."

"Or what?" Derek tested him and tightened his grip.

"Oh, you gon' see what." De chuckled.

There was a loud bang on the door. "Aye, I need to get in there. What's taking y'all so long!? Y'all know I'm old and my bowels ain't the same as it used to be!" Pops told us. "Stop all that playin' and get out of there!"

"We still washing our hands. We gon' be out soon dad!" I replied loud enough to where he could hear me.

"I'm tellin' pops and he gon' kick yo ass for me." Derek let De go with a push. Derek walked to the toilet and flushed De's pills down the toilet. "Say bye-bye," Derek smirked at De while waving his hands at the toilet, then walked to the sink to wash his hands.

"Fuck y'all..." De snatched the door open and walked out the bathroom back outside into the room.

Derek shrugged then closed the door after De left. "How the FUCK you ain't notice this shit as much as you be around him? This nigga on that shit. This ain't new. I been noticing this nigga actin' weird since Thanksgiving and now I know that this is why. How the fuck you let this shit happen Dal?"

"Me? This nigga grown as hell. I can't control him. When pops find out, he's gon' lose his shit. Ma too." Derek raised his eyebrows.

"You right. What we gon' do? Do we tell?" I asked.

Derek looked up at the ceiling. "We gotta get this nigga to go to rehab. Imma think of somethin'."

"You know what?" I said to Derek.

"What?"

"Tia did tell me about this, but I was biased and ain't believe he was actually doing this. I mean he was prescribed so I pushed that thought to the side." I told him.

"She told you that? That girl ain't tell me shit and I talk to her often. When she say this?"

"Like a year ago."

"A YEAR A- a year ago and now you decide to say something now?" He said lowering his voice.

"Yes, like I said, I refused to believe her about it. I ain't know. I just knew he was changin' but people change every seven to fifteen years." I told him.

"She let her boyfriend become a drug addict and ain't say shit? Well, I'll think of a way." He told me and walked out and turning off the lights.

"Boyfriend? What the hell is this nigga talkin' about?" I mumbled then walked out the bathroom.

"What y'all was doin'? Talkin' turns watchin' each other take a shit?" Pops asked us laughing. "Y'all was in there all day."

"Somethin' like that..." Derek saying playing along then looked at De.

"Maybe I should wait to go in there then, huh?" Dad said in a thinking tone. "Nahh, I can't hold it no more, I'm old!" He said running to the bathroom holding his ass.

"Welp..." I said turning away from a running pops.

"What was y'all doin'?" Momma asked us.

"I don't know, what were we doing Junior?" Derek smiled at De.

De squinted at Derek with an annoyed look. "Exactly what Pops said." De joked. "Can I hold him now?"

"No, I'm first." I told De.

"Junior asked first." Momma said about to hand De the baby.

"Nig- uh. You better sit down, because if you drop my baby brother for OBVIOUS reasons, you gon' get dropped you head too." Derek said sounding like he was joking but he was serious. De is high...

"What he said..." I pointed my head at Derek.

De waved us off and reached for the baby. "Junior..." Derek said warningly. "Sit down." He said slowly.

De sat down on the bed next to momma's. Ma got up and placed DJ in De's arms. Me and Derek walked over to them. "He don't look like me." I told our mother.

(I couldn't find a picture of Justin as a baby. 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️)

"Yes, he do. I remember when they brought you home." De told me. "Hey, lil man." He cooed.

"Then you lied earlier because you said you ain't remember that far back." I told him.

"I didn't." He said still playing the baby.

"You did Junior." Momma gave him a look.

"Okay, Dalvin, maybe did but that don't matter right now." He told me then started back playing with DJ.

"Y'all, check out the lips." Derek pointed at DJ. "That's sh'oll a DeGrate. All the DeGrate men got them lips. The good lookin' ones anyway..." He popped his collar and laughed.

"Boy..." Momma trailed off.

"You got him on the outfit I bought him." I smiled at mom.

"You got him that? I was wondering who brought him this. Why it say Nike Air? Who is that?" She asked me. Me, De, and Derek burst into laughter. Dad came in the room laughing as well. "What's so funny?" I just asked a simple question. I see y'all young one wearing that name all the time."

"It's a name brand. They like Keds but they put the name on they clothing and shoes. It what the kids wear these days." Pops explained to her. "That and the basketball player. What's his name? Jayden?"

"His name is Jordan, Pops!" Derek told him still laughing. "Michael Jordan."

"I was close enough though, right?" He said laughing.

It got quiet. "No. Not at all." De said as we started laughing again.

"Alright, don't laugh at me. We don't keep up with the youngun's." Pops said still laughing.

"So you admitting that you old now?" I said patting his shoulder.

"NO!" He said with a scoff. "We not old or young. We..." Pops looked up at the ceiling for something to say.

Ma finished his sentence. "I'll put it like this, you father and I ain't young but we somewhere in between."

August 2, 1995

~Yasir's P.O.V~

          My birthday was the twentieth of last month and all I want was money and something else my family promised they'd do. They don't know what it is but I made them promise and clear their day for this. This needs to be done because this shit is getting old. I can't fix everybody but our family needs to be fixed. Durl, only know partly of what I'm doing and where we are going but he's helping as well.

"Hello?" Tia answered the phone.

"Yeah, where you at?" I asked her.

"I'm on my way, Yasir." She said in a bored tone. "Dang, you just keep on calling me."

"I'm callin' because you take ALLLLL day." I dragged on.

"I'm driving and I'll call you back when I get there." She said annoyed at me.

"Okay, bye. Drive safe, uhgglass lil guhh." I said and she hung up on me.

I put my phone away and then put my phone up as my momma and Durl came out the gas station. They made me stop at a gas station talking about how I made them get up too early on a weekend. My tank is full because I went to a gas station before picking them up from the crib. You know Durl complained that it's his day off and he wanted to sleep but he also took it into consideration of my money and my reasoning.

"Where is yo sister?" Durl asked and closed the door.

"She said that she on the way but I think she still at the crib. I mean, I would've picked her up myself but she live too far out and the other direction."

"Yasir, where the hell we goin'?" My momma asked me.

"I told you momma that it was a surprise." I told her.

"You sister know?" She asked.

"Nope, she left in the shadows just as much as you." I told her.

Momma turned around to the back seat where Durl was. "Durl, you know anything about this?" She asked him. We made eye contact in the rearview mirror.

"Momma, it's not that far away from where we are now so we gon' be there in a lil bit." I told her trying to get the attention off if Durl. He knows but I don't want her to know because there's a 99.9% chance that this'll get messy. I don't want her blaming Durl.

"Okay, but answer me this. Why are WE getting a surprise for YOUR birthday? That don't sound right." She gave me a look.

"Because- 'cause I'm not selfish. I'm thinking about y'all too. This is a much needed thing that needs to be done." I told her then turned on my music. It was a Snoop Dogg track.

We drove a little while longer and finally got there. The gates opened for me and I drove closer to the house. Look who made it before me; Tia. I got out of the car and walked up to my little sister. Durl opened the door for my momma and they followed me.

"Well, looks looky. Look who arrived before me. What'd you do? Drive like a bat out of- you know what?" I told her. I don't curse in front of mom nor have I ever. Hell is even a curse word in my family. Liar was another and then there was fool but we use those two now.

"I drove like I usually drive. I would've came got here earlier but you kept blowin' me up." She folded her arms.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't wanna hear yo face." I waved her off olayfully. "Wassup Jax." I said dapping him up.

"Sup man." He returned the dap.

"What are we doing at a house, Yas?" A very confused Tia asked me. She came back to Atlanta just because I asked her to and for school registration. She's actually filming for her new movie.

"That's for me to know and for you to dot, dot, dot..." I told her using what she always say.

"Touché." She pointed at me with a chuckle.

"Come on, follow me." I gestured to everybody. "You know that you could've knocked on the door right?" I asked my little sister.

"You know you could've knocked on a door, right?" She mocked me. "If I knew, don't you think I would've. All you did was tell me to come nothing else. But this house does look familiar? What is this?" She said looking up at the house. "This was on television before but I'm not quite sure where..." She trailed off.

"You gon' see. Chill out or imma sick your little dog of a boyfriend on you." I told her.

"Boyfriend? Yasir what are you talking about?" She gave me a look.

"That DeVanté dude." I told her and knocked on the door.

"DeVanté, boy bye..." She scoffed. "He ain't my man." She rolled her eyes at me.

"She know she like him." Momma said teasing her.

"Right, watch them be together." Durl said laughing.

The door opened and Ms. Iyanla Vanzant opened the door. "Welcome..."

"Hello," Tia smiled.

"Hi, you that women from TV, right? With Oprah?" My momma asked.

"Yes ma'am, come on in everyone." She said moving aside while holding the door open.

Momma, was the first to walk in and Tia was right behind her. Except Tia gave me a look that told me she was upset. Durl looked at me. "Oooohhweeee, I told you this wasn't gon' be pretty..." He muttered to me, patted my shoulder, then walked in the house. "It's about to get worse." He whispered to me once we were all in the house. He walked to be next to momma.

"What are we doing here?" Tia whispered to me.

"To solve unresolved issues." Iyanla spoke up. I guess she heard.

"Unresolved issues?" Tia frowned. "Brehh, what'd you do?" She asked me.

"Ms. Andrew's, do you have any questions?" Ms. Vanzant asked talking to Tia.

"Umm, no ma'am." Tia told her.

"Okay." She patted Tia's arm. Everybody introduced themselves.

"Follow me to the couch." She motioned. "Have a seat." She told us and we sat down.

"What is this? A T.V show? Are we filmin'?" My momma asked.

"No ma'am, this is off the record like Yasir here insisted." Ms. Vanzant responded to Tia.

"Tell me about yourselves." Ms. Vanzant said.

"Who goin' first?" I asked and crickets.

"I'll go, I guess." Durl said breaking the silence. "Where should I start? Oh, umm, I was born in Canada to a Bahamian mother and Haitian- Creole father. We moved away from Canada to the states. First we we moved to Louisiana where my father's family was then up north to Chicago. Chicago was rough and I got a little caught up with the wrong crowd. My parents found out and quickly straightened me out.

"I started working and when I finally got enough money to leave, I did and moved to Gary. I heard there was Steel Mill jobs and they paid a pretty penny. It's a good thing I did because it was one of the best descisions ever. I met and married Mrs. Caresse and finally got the kids I always wanted. They were older but still. I have my own little family now." He said putting his arms around my mother. That made my momma smile.

"Okay, Mr. Caresse. How about you go next Tia?" Msm Vanzant asked Tia.

Tia gave her a hesitant look. "Umm, not how about you go first Yasir?" She smiled at me.

"What's wrong with going? You'll have to go eventually anyways." Mr. Vanzant smiled.

"Umm, I- I just don't have much to tell." Tia shrugged. "People know of me."

"Yes, they know of you but don't know you. They know what you tell them and about your career. Now, how about you go, Yasir?"

I nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Grew up in a single parent household and..." I continued to speak but there wasn't much to tell.

"Interesting... Mrs. Caresse." She gestured and my mother stared to speak a mile a minute. She just didn't go deep. "Who're you? There were only supposed to be four people here." Ms. Vanzant asked Jax.

"I'm her bodyguard. I'm just doing my job?" Jax responded.

"Now, would you mind speaking?" Ms. Vanzant asked Tia again.

"I'm 23, and have a career in film." Tia said briefly.

"Okay, what else?" She asked.

"Yes." Tia nodded.

"That's not what Yasir here tells me. He tells me that you all have some unresolved issues and that you're running away from your past. Is that true?"

Tia looked at me. "No, that isn't true." Tia smiled at her then cleared her throat.

"Yasir thought there's someone you'd like to see and maybe confront you past. Isn't that right?" She asked me with folded hands and I nodded. "Come on out."

Shae came in the room and Tia snapped her head at me. "You didn't... Are you serious!?" She said with her right leg jumping up and down. "Really? I thought we'd do something for you but you're basically forcing me to talk to someone about something that- that-" Tia gathered her things, stood up, and wiped her face with the back of her hand. "You know what, let's go Jax. I'm ready to leave." Then she turned to face Shae who was still at a far distance from Tia. "If you came here for me to give you, you got it. Goodbye." She said and headed to the door.

"Did you really?" I asked standing up.

"Wait a minute Ms. Andrew's. I know you're angry but-" Ms.Vanzant started.

"Like you said, nobody knows me. Not even you. Thank you for your help. Yasir, I'll give you back what you spent for this mess of a meeting or whatever you want to call it. Bye." Tia continued to walk then turned back around. "Oh, and Yasir, the next time you want to do this, run it by me first. You don't do stuff like this and expect me- excuse me force me to be open about my trauma that I'm still dealing with." She said and walked out there door with Jax.

"Wait a minute." Momma stood up and chased after her. Momma came back in a minute later. "What is going on? Why is she so upset?" Momma asked me confused.

"Asked Shae, your niece." I pointed at her. She's my cousin but I can't stand that bitch.

"What's going on Shae, and why are you here?"

She stayed quiet. "Gone and tell her!" I said raising my voice. Shae stayed quiet and began to walk towards the room she came from.

"What happened?" My momma turned to me with a knowing look.

"Deep down, you probably know but it's not my job to tell you. Like she said, it's not my job to say." I shrugged.

Shae came from the back with all of her things. My momma walked up to Shae. "What did you do to my daughter?" My momma said jerking Shae's shoulder. "What happened?" My momma asked again.

"Look, it wasn't much, okay?" Shae said and started to walk off.

"It wasn't much!?" I yelled out, walking towards them.

"Nuh-uh, not on my watch! You are not doing this on my watch!" Ms. Vanzant grabbed me and her son came and grabbed me as well. "I don't hit women, if that's what you thinkin'." I told them. "I ain't ever hit no woman, but I sh'oll do yell at them. Especially the ones like her!" I pointed my finger at Shae.

"I don't have time for this." Shae chuckled and continued to walk away. Then she finally was out of the door.

"Boy, what's wrong wit' chu?" My momma looked at me with her head cocked to the side.

"Nothing... I'm sorry Ms. Vanzant for wasting you time. We're going to go." I said straightening up my clothes. "I'll be in the car." I said and walked out the house.

"I said this shit wasn't gon' turn out like he wanted." I heard Durl say and saw him shake his head. "I'm sorry Ms. Vanzant. We're going to go. Come on hun." Durl said to my momma.

I didn't hear shit else because I walked out and sat in the car waiting for them to come out. They came out a few minutes later. My momma was fussing at Durl as they got into the car.

"Yasir, what're we doing here? What'd she do to yo sister?" I was asked by my mother.

"Momma, it's not my place to say and apparently not my business to fix. This family just gon' stay jacked up." I shook my head and pulled off. I turned up my music. What a shit show...

Author's Note: Dalvin has FINALLY accepted the fact that DeVanté is addicted! 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ What do you think Derek will come up with?

Word Count: 5,415
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Thank you all for taking the time out of your day to read another chapter of this story. Thank you for staying despite the slacking.💚🖤❤💜💙💛